


What It Means to Be Me

by JustAnotherMarvelGirl



Series: Our Love Is Stronger Than the Universe [15]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Body Swap, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25909918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherMarvelGirl/pseuds/JustAnotherMarvelGirl
Summary: An accident on their first unsupervised mission together leaves Wanda and Vision trapped in each other's bodies.They must learn to live with their new powers and appearances while searching for a cure.
Relationships: Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: Our Love Is Stronger Than the Universe [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880671
Comments: 66
Kudos: 34
Collections: AUgust 2020, Scarlet Vision AU-gust





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for AU-gust day 15: Role Reversal AU
> 
> A/N: As with all of my chaptered fics, rating might go up in the future.

“Wanda, Vision, are you guys ready for this?” Steve asked, smiling.

Despite her slight nerves, Wanda still managed to smile back.

This would be the first mission where she and Vision would be alone, without supervision. A sort of an initiation to the team.

The slight crush that she was starting to develop for her synthezoid teammate only added to her nerves.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied.

Wanda bid everyone goodbye and entered the Quinjet with Vision following close behind her.

He had volunteered to pilot the plane, so she sat down in one of the seats, going through the mission parameters once more.

They were supposed to deactivate a HYDRA device that the Avengers’ scans had discovered in one of the bases they had cleaned out two weeks ago. Neither Steve nor Tony were sure what the device did, but, judging by its energy signature, her powers should be able to render it useless.

She advanced quickly through the base, keeping her senses attuned to any unexpected HYDRA soldiers, but the only presence she could feel was Vision’s.

“The device is in sight,” Wanda stated into her earpiece, waiting for Steve’s approval to proceed.

Their target seemed to be lying abandoned on the floor of one of the labs, a small metal cylinder no larger than a beer mug. No wonder they had missed it the first time they had been here.

Still, Vision’s scans confirmed that the unusual energy signature was indeed emanating from the object, so Wanda let her powers flow to her fingers.

“Ready?” she asked, getting into position, and at Vision’s nod focused her powers on the device.

“I am getting strange readings,” Vision informed her.

She opened her mouth to ask what kind but was suddenly interrupted by a white flash.

Wanda barely registered a searing pain in her temple before everything went dark.

She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours.

Regardless, the moment she felt herself coming back around she summoned her powers to her fingers, ready to defend against whatever it was that had attacked them.

Except, nothing happened.

Wanda was suddenly gripped by a feeling of terror.

She couldn’t feel her powers.

She struggled to open her eyes and almost screamed when she did.

Her own body was sprawled out on the floor next to a nearby lab desk, a nasty looking gash on the side of her head.

What was going on?

Was she having an out-of-body experience?

She gasped and covered her mouth, surprised to actually hear the breath rushing into her through her fingers.

She was even more surprised to feel their touch on her face.

However, nothing could prepare her for the shock of seeing the color of the hands covering her mouth.

They were an unmistakable red, the kind she had only ever seen on one person.

“Vision!”

* * *

_Vision_...

_Vision!_

Vision was dragged back to consciousness by his own voice calling him.

That was unusual.

It had never happened before.

The next thing he was aware of was pain.

Due to his density changing abilities he could avoid most hits and shots. Even in the rare occasions when his attention slipped, he couldn’t feel true pain. His pain receptors were quite dull, just enough to activate his reflexes and get him out of a dangerous situation, but this sensation was immeasurably stronger than anything he had ever experienced before.

He forced his eyes to open and drew in an unsteady breath.

His own face was staring back at him with worry.

“What is happening?” he asked and immediately gasped.

The words were said in Wanda’s silky voice.

“Wanda?” he whispered, creasing his brows.

He was met with a nod and a slight smile.

“It’s me,” she replied in his voice. “Are you alright? I must have hit my head against the desk when I fell. Or, well, _your_ head at the moment.”

“The device…” he started and they both looked at the small object.

“No more energy readings…” Wanda replied, frowning. “Can you… Can you try to use my powers on it again? Reverse the effect?”

Vision focused as much as he could and managed to send out a small beam of red towards it, but there was no reaction.

“Perhaps we should both attempt to touch it,” he suggested. The sound of Wanda’s voice coming out of his mouth still managed to shock him.

He watched in silence as Wanda brought the device towards him.

He raised his now small hand once she was beside him and placed it right next to hers.

Their eyes locked and they both held their breaths, waiting for the flash, for anything, but the device remained unchanged.

As did they.

“Shit…” Wanda muttered, shaking her head.

“We should head back and notify the team,” Vision suggested, trying to get up and swaying on his feet as he was overcome by dizziness.

“Hey, easy there,” Wanda chuckled, catching him. “I hope the team will be able to switch us back soon, but until then, please try to take care of me. I’m only human.”

Vision’s first instinct was to nod, but he caught himself in time.

Her head was injured, and, as strong and as fierce as she was, her body was still much more fragile than his.

“Wanda, Vision!” he heard their Captain shout as he ran into the room. “Are you alright? The readings showed major energy fluctuations before they stopped altogether and you both stopped answering your comms. We flew here as fast as we could.”

“We are alright, Captain. The good news is that Wanda has deactivated the device and we are aware of what its function is,” Vision replied.

Captain Rogers looked at him as if he had grown two heads before turning to Wanda.

“Do you think she has gotten a concussion whenever she got that wound,” he asked, and Wanda shrugged her shoulders.

“I suppose that’s possible, but that brings us to the bad news, _Steve_ ,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Captain Rogers’ jaw dropped as his eyes flitted in between them and realization slowly dawned on his face.

“Fuck,” he deadpanned, placing his palm over his eyes, and it was the first time Vision had heard their Captain swear.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've finally gotten around to updating this one as well, enjoy :)

“Language!” Vision heard Mr. Stark exclaim as he entered the HYDRA lab and slapped the Captain’s shoulder. “You know, for someone who’s such a goodie-two-shoes, you do swear a lot.”

“Yeah, well, this situation warrants it…” Captain Rogers replied, shaking his head.

“So, what’s the emergency, why did we lose contact? From what I can see, the newbies are both fine. That gash looks a bit nasty, but we’ve all been through worse and survived.”

Mr. Stark was now looking curiously between Wanda, him, and the device held in their arms.

“They’re switched,” the Captain sighed, still not removing his palm from his forehead.

“Come again?” Mr. Stark asked, frowning.

“ _That’s_ Wanda and _that’s_ Vision,” their leader explained, finally looking up from his hand and pointing towards them.

Vision watched as Mr. Stark’s lips pulled up into an “O” shape, and he was silent for a few moments before muttering a curse himself.

“Vision, Wanda, we need to get you to the Compound, have the medics look you over and run some tests. We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Mr. Stark assured them, leaving the teasing aside now that he was aware of the gravity of the situation. Vision was grateful for that, at least.

He tried to make a step towards the exit but winced as the movement made his head throb even more. How did the rest of his teammates even function after constantly getting injuries like this one?

While he was aware on a theoretical level of how fragile human bodies were, it wasn’t until he was forced to live inside one that he realized just what that meant. He had to admit he had a newfound admiration for the human members of his team, who were often forced to find the strength to fight through their pain.

“Vision, stop,” Wanda said gently, and he hoped this situation wouldn’t last long enough for him to get used to her speaking in his voice. For what his personal opinion was worth, her voice was the most pleasantly sounding voice he had ever heard. She deserved it back.

He stopped in his tracks the moment she spoke and felt her place her hand on his back.

“I don’t want to put you through any more pain. Would you let me carry you?” she asked, worry clear in the twirling of her mechanical eyes, and all Vision could muster was a weak “yes”.

Despite having agreed to it, the feeling of her arms under his knees and back still managed to catch him by surprise.

“Lay your head on my chest for support,” she whispered, and Vision did just that, closing his eyes to stop the world from spinning.

The thin layer of his uniform did nothing to make the hard vibranium plane he laid his head on more comfortable, but he wouldn’t complain. It was providing sufficient support so that his head wouldn’t be rattled too much by Wanda’s movements and that was all that mattered.

“Wanda, can you fly? It might cause less movements in case of a concussion,” Captain Rogers explained gently, and Wanda stopped.

“I’m… not sure, Steve. But I’ll try,” she responded, voice uncertain. Vision opened his eyes to see her shakily lift off the ground, and he couldn’t help a proud smile from breaking on his face.

Still, after a couple of inches she stumbled back downwards, causing a pained groan to leave Vision’s mouth.

“Oh god, Vizh, I’m so sorry… It’s just… It will take some time to get used to your powers. I don’t want to risk it, not while carrying you. Stark can carry you if you want to fly,” she offered, but Vision found himself rejecting the idea immediately.

It might have been his vibranium body holding him, but inside it was still Wanda. He was unused to showing any sort of vulnerability in front of his teammates, there had never been any need for it, but if he had to be vulnerable with anyone, he would choose her. There was no one on the team he was closer to than Wanda, and he simply couldn’t imagine himself in Mr. Stark’s arms right now.

“I believe walking will be alright,” he assured her, and Wanda nodded, slowly continuing their path through the base’s corridors.

When they reached the courtyard, Mr. Barton was already waiting with the Quinjet’s ramp open. Wanda laid him carefully on the makeshift bed while Mr. Barton provided him with some painkillers and a bottle of water. Vision smiled weakly, offering his gratitude, and, after assurances from Dr. Cho over the radio that it should be safe, felt himself drifting to sleep.

* * *

Wanda did her best to fight the panic building up in her chest.

She had been able to avoid thinking about their situation until they were back in the safety of the Quinjet, but there was no postponing it anymore.

Her body was not her own.

She was trapped outside it, it was under another’s control, and the thought was terrifying.

Wanda couldn’t help but remember her time in HYDRA captivity. The experiments, the pain… Her body had not been her own then either.

She forced herself to cut that train of thoughts. It was a period of her life she’d rather forget. That, and all that came after…

Wanda closed her eyes, determined to focus on the positive.

She supposed it could be worse. She could have switched with someone less respectful, like Stark. She shuddered at the thought of him being able to do whatever he wanted with her body. It had been eight months since the battle of Sokovia, but she still couldn’t bring herself to trust him fully. A lifetime of hatred was difficult to forget.

If she had to choose one person to entrust her body with, it would be Vision. She knew he would never do anything untoward, he was too innocent for that, too sweet.

He was the man who had saved her even when she didn’t want to be saved, stood by her when she pushed everyone else away, and his kindness was probably the reason she was here now, with a new purpose in life and a team of people she might even consider family one day.

Well, most of them at least.

Wanda was glad that Steve and Stark had taken the other Quinjet to the Compound. This was all a lot to take in, and she could do with some peace and quiet right now.

The soft sound of Vision’s breathing drew her gaze downwards, to the makeshift bed he was lying on. She gently moved the hair from his eyes, smiling slightly. So that was what she looked like when she slept.

It felt quite surreal to be looking at her own body like that. She seemed so much younger than she felt, relaxed as she was at the moment.

Wanda sighed quietly, getting up from her seat next to Vision.

“How are you feeling?” Clint asked from the cockpit, after hearing her pace for a couple of minutes.

“Weird,” Wanda chuckled, shaking her head. “I can’t even describe it.”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Clint responded, laughing as well. “Actually, I can’t. This shouldn’t even be possible…”

“I know… I hope they’ll be able to figure out what happened and how to reverse it. And _soon_ ,” she stressed.

“I’m sure they will. This will soon be something for us all to laugh about. In the meantime, how does it feel, being a… you know?” he asked, raising his hand and gesticulating vaguely.

“A what?” Wanda asked instead, frowning.

“Oh, you know. A superbot, an android, whatever he is…” Clint continued.

Wanda sighed.

He was none of these things, and despite him not being able to hear it, the misnaming still bothered her.

“A _synthetic being_ ,” she corrected, before pausing to think about her answer. “Well, I see everything much more clearly. In a higher resolution or something? I don’t know how to describe it. And I feel both weightless and incredibly strong at the same time. Like I could just as easily punch a hole through the Quinjet as sink through it. I’m not sure if I actually can, though, I’ve tried flying but it didn’t really work out…”

“Hmm,” Clint nodded, lost in thought. “It’s probably your mind holding you back. But it’d be nice to try and actually fly before you guys switch again. Imagine that, soaring through the air, freely, with no help from engines, parachutes or one of Tony’s suits…” he added wistfully.

Wanda smiled, despite the situation.

“I suppose flying would be nice,” she admitted. She just hoped this whole thing wouldn’t last so long that she’d be forced to master all of Vision’s powers and use them on missions. The sooner she was back in her own body, the better.

“I think I’ll try to get some rest now, before we arrive. I already know there’ll be a long day ahead of me,” Wanda declared after a few moments, getting back to her seat next to Vision.

“Of course,” Clint replied, not looking up from the Quinjet’s controls. “Take all the time you need.”

Wanda closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come to her. She didn’t even know if he _could_ sleep. In fact, there were so many things she didn’t know about her new reality, and the one man that could help her was currently sleeping peacefully, possibly for the first time in his life.

“God, Vizh,” she whispered, hanging her head in defeat, “what have we gotten ourselves into?”


	3. Chapter 3

Vision opened his eyes to the familiar sight of the Compound’s rehabilitation room. While he hadn’t had much need for it himself, he had sometimes helped bring and visited some of his teammates there while they recovered from minor injuries.

“Good, you’re awake,” he heard Dr. Cho exclaim, and turned his head towards the voice. “That gash on your head is fixed, you won’t even know it was there. There don’t seem to be any other major health issues, but, tell me, how are you feeling?”

Vision’s hand flew automatically towards the side of his head, but all he could feel was the smoothness of Wanda’s skin.

He removed his hand as if burned, before stopping to think about the doctor’s question. He was still inside Wanda’s body, so they clearly hadn’t found a solution yet, but at least there wasn’t a throbbing pain in his head anymore.

There was, however, an uncomfortable sensation in his throat, and, as he voiced his uncertainty, Wanda’s voice came out rougher than usual.

“Oh, of course, you must be thirsty,” Dr. Cho suggested with a smile, and Vision gratefully accepted the glass of water he was offered.

He hesitated slightly before bringing it to his mouth, unused to the idea of ingesting liquids, but he drank it nonetheless, a sigh of relief leaving him at the sensation.

“Thank you,” he whispered, feeling better already, and it was at that moment that he heard a commotion nearby.

“I thought I said no visitors, hence the locked door,” the doctor said, crossing her arms over her chest. Vision followed her gaze to find half of his own body, seemingly stuck while trying to phase through the door.

“You said he needed to rest, he’s awake now,” Wanda replied, before meeting his eyes and quickly dropping her gaze. “I’m sorry Vizh, you make it seem much easier than it is.”

The chuckle that left his mouth took them both by surprise, and Vision soon found himself staring into her eyes again.

“Doctor, I believe you gave me a clean bill of health. Am I allowed to get up?” he asked, and at the doctor’s nod hurried towards Wanda.

He took her hand in his, hoping to help ground her, and she gave him a small smile before asking how to get out of there.

“Just… close your eyes, try to visualize all the atoms you are made of. That space between them, you can control it. Make it widen for you, you have the ability, you just need to focus,” he assured her, his voice and hand gently coaxing her towards him until she was fully out of the door.

She didn’t open her eyes, not even after she was safe, and, as Vision observed her tightly shut eyes, he realized she probably wasn’t even aware of her success.

“You did it, Wanda,” he exclaimed proudly, and Wanda gasped in surprise, opening her eyes.

“That was scary,” she admitted, laughing silently. “I promise I’ll actually use the door next time, I was just worried about you.”

“Don’t worry, your body is unharmed. Doctor Cho assures me it is perfectly healthy,” Vision replied.

He hadn’t expected her to shake her head and smile slightly at his words, but Wanda soon explained that she was worried about him as well, not just the body.

A surprised “oh” was the only thing that would come out of his mouth after she spoke, but the silence was quickly broken by Wanda’s question about the nature of their situation.

“It is… strange. Your DNA is completely identical to the way it was before. If your behavior wasn’t so obviously different, I’d find it hard to believe anything even happened,” the doctor replied.

“What about brain activity?” Vision asked, frowning with worry. This was even more serious than he had believed.

“We unfortunately don’t have anything to compare it to. Wanda, you’ve explicitly forbidden any MRI scans unless it was a life or death situation, so I don’t know what your brain looked like before,” Dr. Cho explained.

“I… I’m sorry. I was just so tired of being an experiment, of having my brain constantly scanned and probed because of the things I could do, I didn’t think…” Wanda started, voice filled with so much sorrow, and Vision couldn’t help but stop her.

“Wanda, it’s alright. No one could have predicted this and there is nothing to be sorry about. Besides, we don’t even know if having an MRI scan would help in any way. We will find a solution, one way or another,” assured her, gently placing a hand on her arm, and she nodded, smiling weakly.

“I know we will. I guess should leave you to rest now. I’ll be in my room if you need anything,” Wanda stated before turning to leave. It didn’t escape Vision’s notice that she unlocked and opened the door this time.

Vision returned to the bed for a while, but found he couldn’t sleep anymore.

He thanked Dr. Cho for all her efforts, but ultimately left the rehabilitation room in order to find something to occupy himself with. He already missed the ability to access almost any information immediately, and he supposed he would need to get used to utilizing smartphones or computers until this whole thing was resolved.

He borrowed a laptop from Ms. Romanov and settled down on a couch in the common area. He briefly considered making himself the tea Wanda loved to drink but decided against it. Liquids and electronics did not mix well.

He barely started investigating about any instances of something like this occurring in the past when Mr. Stark found him.

Vision quickly updated him on the new information he received from the doctor, but instead of leaving, as he had assumed he would, Mr. Stark sat in the armchair across him.

“Oh, I don’t need a DNA test to know you guys are switched,” Mr. Stark said with a smirk. “And now that you’re feeling better, it’s time for some important questions.”

Vision nodded and set the laptop down, waiting for the other man to start talking, but the question that left his mouth caught Vision off guard.

“So, what’s it like being a woman,” Mr. Stark asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Vision frowned. Despite his consciousness inhabiting Wanda’s body, he didn’t feel any different. He was still _him_.

“I… I don’t believe I am one,” he tried to reply, but Mr. Stark rolled his eyes.

“Oh, come on, Vision. You know what I mean. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt those yet?” he asked, hands mimicking the grabbing of his own nonexistent cleavage.

Vision couldn’t stop the shocked gasp that left his lips.

“I would never violate Wanda’s privacy like that. H-how could you even suggest that,” he asked, feeling his cheeks getting hotter. It was an unusual sensation, and he wished in vain to be in his own skin, the skin that could hide the red hue of embarrassment developing on his face right now.

“I’m just saying, if Pep and I were switched, one of the first things I’d do is find out _exactly_ what she feels when I touch her. You’ve never felt curious? Ever?” Mr. Stark asked, shrugging his shoulders, and Vision shook his head.

His particular situation was completely different than Mr. Stark’s. While Vision _had_ noticed how attractive Wanda was, it was impossible not to, that fact was absolutely irrelevant.

“With all due respect, Mr. Stark, you and Ms. Potts are in a relationship. She might be agreeable to such experiments, but Wanda and I are friends. I would never…” Vision struggled to explain, before he was interrupted by Mr. Stark.

“Wait, what? I thought you guys were… never mind,” he muttered, shaking his head and leaving Vision quite confused.

As Vision mused over Mr. Stark’s words, the man himself approached him and gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry, Vision. It seems like your situation is even worse than I had believed it was. But,” he continued, suddenly frowning and wrinkling his nose, “I hope you guys figure the privacy thing out, otherwise this will turn into a very stinky affair.”

Vision nodded slowly at his words, trying to understand what exactly he was saying, but it wasn’t until he was alone again that the realization truly dawned on him.

He urgently needed to speak to Wanda.


	4. Chapter 4

Wanda tried to sleep again, but sleep just wouldn’t come to her.

She sat up and sighed in frustration.

She had been too flustered during her visit to Vision to remember she needed to ask him if it was even possible.

She groaned and hid her face in her hands at the memory. She had been so impatient to see him that she ended up trying to phase through the door and getting stuck in the process. And once again Vision had been forced to come to her rescue…

Wanda was distracted from her thoughts by a knock on her door.

“Well, this is quite unusual,” she chuckled as she opened it and found Vision waiting for her. After a few moments of looking at his, or, well, her own confused face, she elaborated. “You don’t usually knock.”

“O-oh!” Vision managed to exclaim, his cheeks flushing. “It is a habit I haven’t yet adopted. I suppose I will have to rectify that soon due to our circumstances.”

Wanda laughed, shaking her head.

His frequent phasings through her walls and door didn’t really bother her, although they did make for a couple of jump-scares. After pleading with him to at least make a sound and let her know he was coming through, things had improved, and it warmed her heart to know he was so comfortable around her that he could just be himself.

“Come in,” she invited with a smile, and found that his cheeks remained red as he followed behind her. “Is everything alright?”

“Well, uh, it…” he muttered, fumbling with her rings, “it has come to my attention that humans should change clothes fairly regularly, and I... I can’t just phase it off in this body.”

“Oh…” Wanda managed. She knew that if Vision’s body could blush, she would be blushing as well.

“I believe I can undress with my eyes closed, but I am uncertain whether I will be able to successfully dress without the help of my eyesight. I have never worn actual clothes up until now,” Vision explained, tugging curiously at the long sleeve around his left wrist.

“That... That’s alright, Vision. I know you would never abuse this situation, just do your best,” Wanda replied silently. The possibility of Vision seeing her naked both terrified and excited her, but she knew there was no other option. Though neither of them chose this, they would both have to learn to live with it.

Wanda saw Vision visibly relax at her words, but his eyes widened in horror again at her sudden gasp.

“Oh god,” she mumbled, covering her eyes. “There is one more thing that humans need to do quite often... Shower...”

She dared a look at him and saw her own face staring up at her like a deer in the headlights. Vision opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, seeming absolutely mortified, and Wanda couldn’t help but feel bad for him.

“Could you… Could _you_ do it?” he asked, his eyes imploring her to say yes, but all Wanda could do was frown in confusion.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

“Well, you have showered countless of times. You know what you look like. I could close my eyes and you could, uh, wash,” he suggested.

Wanda knew her cheeks couldn’t really burn in this body, but the knowledge did nothing to stop her brain from being convinced they were.

The thought of touching him in the shower somehow seemed even more intimate and inappropriate than him washing her body without her there. Not to mention that she sometimes used showering as a means to release some tension. The possibility of her body reacting the same way while she was cleaning Vision and his scared and confused look absolutely mortified her.

Thankfully, her brain decided to have mercy on her by offering another option.

“H-how about b-bubble baths?” she asked suddenly.

“Bubble baths?” he repeated in confusion.

“Yeah, fill the bathtub with a lot of foam and just kind of soak in it. It will hide most of the view,” she explained, and Vision nodded.

“I could attempt that,” he replied, a slight smile on his face.

Wanda smiled as well, glad that another issue was resolved, when Vision reached up to curiously run his hand through his hair.

“I suppose you will have to explain to me the proper haircare routine, seeing as I don’t usually have hair. I wouldn’t want your hair to stop being this soft due to any mistakes on my part,” he stated, and Wanda was glad it was much easier to hide her reactions in this body.

For some reason the fact that Vision had noticed the softness of her hair made her artificial heart flutter, and all she wanted to do was hide away in embarrassment.

“I will,” she assured him instead, before another thought occurred to her. “Vizh, do you... do _you_ have to shower?”

“Well, I do not 'sweat' if that is what you were referring to, but I do like to wash off the grime after training or fighting outside.”

Wanda nodded, deep in thought.

“How do you want me to do it?” she asked after a while, and Vision just shrugged.

“I do not feel bound by the human need to hide your bodies. I was created this way, you have already seen me without any clothes on, so you can just shower as you usually would,” he assured her, and Wanda had to bite her tongue in order not to reply that it wasn’t exactly the same.

She hadn’t seen _all_ of him, not really, and she’d lie if she said she hadn’t often wondered about just how anatomically similar to a human man he was. She had been tempted to look but decided against it, she couldn’t do that to him, although it now seemed she would find out soon enough. While she still felt her cheeks burn at the prospect, she was relieved that he didn’t seem bothered by the possibility of her seeing all of him.

“What a day, huh?” Wanda asked, feeling as if all the energy had left her. She plopped down on the bed and closed her eyes, wishing she would wake up and find this was all just a weird, strangely realistic dream.

She heard the shuffle of Vision coming closer and patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit.

So much for waking up.

It was reality, and there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

“It is truly an unusual day. But I believe we will find a solution, and soon,” he assured her. If only she could hear him say it in his voice, perhaps she would even believe it. She couldn’t help but doubt the words spoken in her own. She had made too many wrong decisions in her short life to trust herself.

“I hope so…” she replied instead, opening her eyes when she felt the bed dip beside her. After a few moments, she spoke again. “Vizh, do you sleep? I tried on the Quinjet and before you came here, but I just couldn’t fall asleep. I don’t know if it’s the stress or…”

“Well, not in the human sense. I do rest, every four days or so, but it is more like a deep meditation than sleep. I usually do not require more than three hours, and I do not need a bed for it. Which reminds me, I should probably tell Mr. Stark to order a bed for my room, this body requires sleep, after all,” he said, starting to get up, but something compelled Wanda to reach out and stop him.

The thought of spending so much time alone with her thoughts, unable to sleep, deeply unsettled her. She selfishly wished to at least have him beside her, just like he was there on all the nights when the nightmares made her never want to close her eyes again.

“I have a bed. You could… you could sleep here, if you want,” she suggested, voice a bit shaky. “I mean, all my clothes are already here, and if you don’t like what I have, you can always go shopping, but I’m sure this will come in handy for the first few days at least,” she kept on rambling until she saw Vision smile slightly.

“I will stay,” he assured her, and if his awareness of social cues wasn’t practically nonexistent most of the time, Wanda would have sworn he saw right through her ramblings and to the root of the problem.

“Good. I hope you won’t mind us sharing the bed?” Wanda asked tentatively. Even though he now confirmed she couldn’t sleep, it didn’t mean she was about to spend all her time standing up or in a chair.

“Of course. I would never drive you out of your own bed. You will not require rest for the next two days. In case we are not back in our own bodies until then, I will do my best to explain to you just what to do to start the rest period,” he promised, and Wanda nodded.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “If this had to happen, I’m glad it was with you,” she admitted, averting her gaze.

“I am grateful for that as well. You are… my best friend?” he responded, voice a bit uncertain at the end as he looked up at her. It was the first time any of them had put a label on what they were, and even though she sometimes wished they could be more, Wanda definitely agreed.

“And you are mine,” she assured him, reaching for his hand. It seemed so small, held in her now much larger hands, and Wanda was momentarily distracted by the beautiful contrast of their skin colors. Luckily, she caught herself staring before it became too weird and took a deep breath instead.

“We’ll get through this, Vizh. Together.”

“Together,” he smiled, and just for a moment, Wanda could forget just how messed up their situation actually was.


	5. Chapter 5

“So, let me get this straight, that little thing,” Mr. Wilson said, pointing at the picture projected over the board, “made you two switch bodies.”

Vision simply observed as the rest of their teammates murmured incredulously. They had all been summoned for an emergency meeting soon after his talk with Wanda, and everyone was now informed of their situation.

What they needed to do now was devise a way to reverse it.

“Yes. And we were lucky-” Wanda started to confirm, when she was interrupted by Mr. Stark.

“Well, Vision certainly was,” he stated with a wink, before waggling his eyebrows at Vision.

Vision watched across the table as his own face displayed levels of annoyance he had never believed it could. Wanda was furious, that much was clear.

“We were lucky because it was _us_ ,” she clarified, voice icy.

Vision nodded and cleared his throat, drawing attention towards himself.

How could they not understand? Perhaps a demonstration would do.

“It will take practice to fully control it, but I can do this,” he said, summoning a burst of red energy to his fingers. It danced around for a few moments before slowly dissipating.

Wanda’s eyes started twirling faster as she caught on to what he was doing. “And I,” she said, using the mind stone to fire a hole suspiciously close to Mr. Stark’s chair, “can do this.”

“Hey! Was that on purpose?” Mr. Stark cried out, but Wanda smiled sweetly, assuring him she just needed more practice.

Vision couldn’t help but be convinced she had fired the beam exactly where she was planning to.

Still, he needed to get the meeting back on track.

“Dr. Cho has assured us our DNA is completely identical to the way it was before. Can you imagine if one of us had been lured there by a HYDRA agent?”

There was silence as realization slowly downed on everyone’s faces.

“Then they would have your powers. They could impersonate you…” Mr. Rogers said quietly, eyes wide.

“And the real Avenger would be trapped inside the body of a crazy HYDRA agent claiming it was a superhero,” Wanda finished for him.

“Needless to say, if they managed to imprison the now powerless Avenger and act like them enough to not draw suspicion from the rest of us,” Vision continued, “HYDRA could be right here, in this room, and none of us would know.”

Everyone was silent for a few moments before there were suddenly many voices talking one over the other.

“What do we do now?”

“We need new security measures, interrogations…”

“We haven’t registered that kind of energy readings anywhere else so far.”

“There were always a few of us on missions, it couldn’t have happened.”

“We now know about it, we can be prepared…”

Vision suddenly felt his head pulse from all the strong, panicked emotions in such a small space.

He hadn’t really experienced that aspect of Wanda’s powers until now, he had almost forgotten about it, but it now felt impossible to ignore. He pressed his fingers against his temples, doing his best to fight the sensations, but it was a losing battle. Foreign emotions were coming at him from all sides, boxing him in and threatening to drown him, and just as he felt they would surely destroy him, there was a light touch on his shoulder and a calming voice in his ear.

“I’m getting you out of here,” Wanda promised, and he felt himself being carried away in her arms again.

With every step she made, the emotions seemed to lose their strength, and Vision finally felt he could breathe again.

Once they were far enough away, on the other side of the Compound, Wanda gently lowered him on a couch.

“It’s okay, Vizh, just breathe,” she encouraged, and he followed her lead, doing his best to match the rhythm of her breathing.

“T-that was horrible,” he managed, still entirely overwhelmed. “How can you deal with it?”

“Distance helps,” she stated, confirming his own observations, before continuing. “I have also learned how to make mental shields. I can usually block everyone’s minds out unless I _want_ to hear them. You will need to learn as well, especially if we are planning to participate in more meetings,” she chuckled, her hand drawing unrecognizable shapes on his arm.

Vision nodded, closing his eyes.

“Please… will you teach me,” he pleaded, not daring to open his eyes.

“Of course. It will take you some practice, but I will do my best to help you. I know you can do it,” she promised. “How are you feeling now?”

“Better,” he responded, feeling more relaxed already. Still, he was curious. “How come I haven’t felt anything before?” Vision asked, frowning slightly.

“Well, the more intense the emotion, the louder it is. There were a lot of very loud emotions back there, and I know from experience that something like that is impossible to ignore without shields. I suppose that the other times the emotions weren’t strong enough to cause you discomfort. And even if they were strong, you might have mistaken them for your own, like our mutual embarrassment earlier,” Wanda explained, chuckling silently.

Vision nodded in understanding. He _had_ felt the embarrassment quite strongly, but he had attributed it simply to being human and near Wanda, not to Wanda’s powers. It now appeared it was a bit of both.

“Hey, you guys alright?” he heard Ms. Romanov ask, and they both turned in the direction of her voice.

“Yeah. It got too much for him, we had to get away,” Wanda explained.

Ms. Romanov nodded in response and leaned on the doorframe, keeping her distance.

“Take your time. They’ve mostly calmed down, but I still wouldn’t go in there yet. If you have any ideas, let us know,” she said, throwing them a pair of communicators before turning away.

Wanda caught them effortlessly and handed him one, but Vision found he couldn’t focus on that yet. She seemed to understand though, because she smiled gently and took his hands in hers.

“That can wait. What do you say we begin your training now?”

“I would like that,” he replied, but just as he spoke, he felt a strange rumbling in his stomach.

“Wa-wanda? What is happening?” Vision asked, his voice accurately depicting his panic. The doctor had assured him there were no issues, had he somehow managed to hurt her body in less than a day that he had it in his care?

“Oh Vision,” she sighed, and Vision was almost certain he could detect a hint of exasperation in her voice. “Have you eaten at all since the mission?”

Vision suddenly realized that what he was feeling must be hunger, and he hung his head bashfully.

“I apologize. I have never actually eaten and, while I am well aware that humans need to eat, that thought hadn’t really crossed my mind until you brought it up.”

“It’s alright, Vizh, I understand. But we’re gonna have to change that. You need food now, whether you remember it or not, so I am setting up alarms for all the meals,” she stated, putting her hands on her hips.

“That is an excellent idea,” Vision agreed, just as his stomach rumbled again.

“Come, let’s get you something to eat,” Wanda ordered. Vision followed without a complaint. Anything to quell the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

“I know you can’t have a favorite meal yet, but is there anything you’ve wanted to try? I mean you’ve seen us eat countless times,” she asked once they reached the kitchen.

“I… I have noticed you like chocolate. I believe I would like it as well,” Vision responded, making Wanda giggle. It was a slightly unusual sound in his voice, but the happiness on her face made him want to cause it over and over.

“I promise you’ll get it, but I want you to eat some real food first, alright?” she offered. Vision could do nothing but agree.

“Hmm, something quick,” she mused, rummaging through the refrigerator, before pulling out some eggs and vegetables. “I’ll make you an omelet, it shouldn’t take long. You just sit here and relax.”

Vision watched her cook, as he had many times before, but never with as much anticipation as he did now. Only minutes separated him from the first meal of his life, and he did his best to quell his excitement. Wanda’s knowing smile as she looked towards him let him know he wasn’t doing that good of a job.

“ _Bon appétit_ ,” she chirped with a smile as she laid the plate in front of him.

Vision felt his hand tremble slightly as he brought the fork to his lips. Wanda’s eyes were on him the whole time, watching him curiously, and as his mouth finally closed around the bit of egg, Vision couldn’t stop a moan of satisfaction that left his lips.

It was unlike anything he had felt before, and he couldn’t wait to have more.

“Wanda, it is exquisite!” he cried out after swallowing the small bite of food. “You are an amazing cook.”

She laughed at that, shaking her head.

“Maybe. Or maybe you just haven’t eaten before and anything would have tasted good,” she teased, but Vision shook his head, bringing another forkful towards his lips.

“I am convinced it is you. It couldn’t have tasted this good otherwise,” he insisted, and watched as Wanda averted her gaze from him.

“Thank you,” she whispered, smiling slightly, and Vision thanked her for cooking for him in the first place.

He had almost emptied the plate when Wanda took another fork and curiously reached towards the remaining food.

“I wonder what would happen if I tried it,” she said, looking between him and the fork in her hand. “Do you think it would be harmful?”

Vision frowned slightly, thinking about her words.

“I am not certain. I do not require nutrition, but I believe my body would be capable of digesting it,” he replied. He could understand why she would want to try it. If this was what food was like, it was logical she missed it.

She slowly brought the fork to her mouth but ended up changing her mind.

“Maybe another time,” she explained with a smile. “Our bodies have experienced enough shocks for one day.”

Vision couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

He shook his head, clearing the rest of his plate before replying.

“That they did. Without a doubt, they did.”


End file.
